The Hurricanes announced Thursday that they’ve hired former Swedish Hockey League coach of the year Cam Abbott as the new head coach for their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Carolina, which spent last season without a dedicated minor-league affiliate, signed a three-year agreement to re-partner with the Wolves last month.
Abbott, 40, never played in the NHL but did have a lengthy professional career overseas after playing collegiate hockey at Cornell University. He appeared in six SHL/Elitserien seasons with Luleå HF and Rögle BK between 2008 and 2015, racking up 166 points in 276 games and winning the Champions Hockey League with Luleå in his final season as a player. Sweden remained his home as a coach, first as the bench boss for the Växjö Lakers’ junior club before being appointed Rögle’s head coach midway through the 2017-18 season.]
He remained behind the Rögle bench until he was relieved of his duties in December. In 2022, he coached a Rögle club that included Red Wings first-rounder Marco Kasper to a 27-11-5-9 record and a CHL title, earning him his aforementioned Coach of the Year honor.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Cam to our organization. He brings a long history of excellence in developing NHL stars,” said Hurricanes assistant GM Darren Yorke. “Cam’s meticulous attention to detail, clear communication and ability to inspire and motivate his teams to achieve success make him the perfect fit for our organization.”
Abbott succeeds Bob Nardella, who coached the Wolves to a 23-35-14 record last season in his lone campaign behind the bench. He’ll be the Wolves’ fourth head coach in the past four seasons, a list that includes new Sharks bench boss Ryan Warsofsky.